What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a complete medical system that has been practiced for thousands of years and continues to evolve alongside modern healthcare today. Rather than focusing on isolated symptoms alone, Chinese Medicine looks at how different systems of the body interact — including physical health, emotional experience, lifestyle habits, and environmental stressors.
Acupuncture is often the most recognized part of Chinese Medicine, but it is only one tool within a much larger framework of care.
Treatment may include acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition and lifestyle guidance, and individualized recommendations designed to support the body’s ability to regulate, recover, and maintain balance over time.
A Medicine Built on Observation and Patterns
Chinese Medicine developed through centuries of careful clinical observation. Practitioners recognized that symptoms rarely occur in isolation. Sleep influences digestion. Stress affects hormones. Injury can change mood and recovery. Environmental factors, emotional experiences, and physical health constantly interact with one another.
Rather than separating these experiences into unrelated problems, Chinese Medicine considers how they connect.
Assessment often includes conversation about health history, observation of physical presentation, and traditional diagnostic tools such as pulse and tongue evaluation. These methods help identify how different systems of the body are communicating and where regulation may be disrupted.
Instead of asking only, “What symptom is present?” Chinese Medicine asks:
Why is this happening now?
What systems are involved?
How might these symptoms be influencing one another?
Symptoms are viewed as pieces of a larger puzzle.
Headaches, poor sleep, digestive discomfort, irritability, muscle tension, or irregular cycles may initially appear unrelated but together can form a recognizable pattern within Chinese Medicine.
One example is what practitioners describe as Liver Qi Stagnation, a pattern often associated with prolonged stress and impaired circulation of energy and blood. Someone experiencing this pattern might notice tension headaches, PMS symptoms, muscle tightness, digestive changes, or difficulty unwinding after periods of sustained pressure or transition. Another person with headaches alone may have a completely different underlying pattern requiring a different treatment approach.
Because of this, Chinese Medicine is not symptom-based care. Two people seeking treatment for headaches, fertility support, allergies, or chronic pain may receive entirely different acupuncture point selections, herbal formulas, and lifestyle recommendations.
Chinese Medicine does not ignore parts of a person’s experience. Physical symptoms, emotional health, daily habits, environmental exposures, and life circumstances are all considered and honored for the role they may play in someone’s presentation.
Treatment becomes an intentional process of understanding how these influences interact rather than responding to an isolated incident alone. By supporting the body as a whole system, care aims to create lasting change rather than temporary symptom relief.
Many patients find this approach helpful when they have been told their symptoms are unrelated or when previous treatments focused on managing individual concerns without addressing the larger picture.
Treatment plans may include acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition and lifestyle guidance, targeted supplementation when appropriate, or referral to other healthcare providers when collaboration best supports long-term outcomes. As patterns change and the body responds, treatment evolves alongside it.
Acupuncture: More Than Needles
Acupuncture involves the placement of very fine, sterile needles at specific points on the body to support circulation, nervous system regulation, and communication between physiological systems.
Modern research continues to explore acupuncture’s effects on pain modulation, inflammation, blood flow, hormone signaling, and stress response.
Many patients describe treatment as deeply calming, while others notice gradual improvements in sleep, digestion, energy levels, recovery from injury, or emotional resilience over time.
Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine is one of the most sophisticated herbal systems in the world. Rather than relying on single herbs alone, formulas are thoughtfully combined to address multiple aspects of a person’s presentation at once.
Herbal recommendations are based on patterns rather than diagnoses or symptoms alone. Two individuals experiencing similar concerns may receive completely different formulas depending on digestion, sleep, stress response, circulation, or hormonal patterns.
Herbs may be used to support concerns such as fertility and menstrual health, digestion, immune resilience, allergies, recovery after illness or injury, and overall regulation.
All herbs recommended in clinic are sourced from professional suppliers that undergo quality testing for safety and purity.
Chinese Medicine in the Modern World
Today, Chinese Medicine is practiced globally and increasingly integrated alongside conventional medical care. Many patients seek acupuncture and herbal medicine as part of a broader healthcare plan, including fertility treatment support during IVF or IUI cycles, injury recovery, chronic pain management, or stress-related health concerns.
Modern practitioners often combine classical diagnostic frameworks with current research and collaboration alongside physicians and other healthcare providers when appropriate.
As a Fellow of the Acupuncture and TCM Board of Reproductive Medicine (FABORM), Erika integrates Traditional Chinese Medicine with evidence-informed reproductive care, allowing treatment plans to honor traditional principles while incorporating contemporary medical understanding.
What Conditions Can Chinese Medicine Support?
Chinese Medicine is commonly used to support:
fertility and reproductive health
pregnancy and postpartum care
acute and chronic pain
sports injuries and recovery
stress and nervous system regulation
sleep concerns
digestive health
allergies and immune resilience.
Many people also seek treatment simply because they feel “off” and want a more comprehensive understanding of their health.
Is Chinese Medicine Right for Me?
People come to Chinese Medicine for many reasons. Some are navigating complex fertility journeys or chronic pain. Others are looking for preventative care or support during stressful life transitions.
If you are curious but unsure whether treatment is a good fit, that is completely normal. New client visits include time to discuss health history, goals, and expectations so care can be approached collaboratively.